Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security through the Sierra Leone Agribusiness and Rice Value chain supported (SLARIS) Project are on a five days training of Agro dealers and fertilizer inspectors on fertilizer Quality Assurance Handling, store management and Fertilizer Use in Sierra Leone.
The event in Bo was to bring together fertilizer dealers, fertilizer instructors and seed growers in order to be trained to understand their role for effective produce of seeds and the policies governing the use and application of fertilizer in Sierra Leone.
REPORTS
Fertilizer is crucial for food production in Agriculture. But if dealers and inspectors couldn’t properly applied them accordingly, it will yield to loss of quality production by causing serious environmental problem,
Thus this engagement seeks to capacitate agro dealers in achieving this goal by making sure those Fertilizer inspectors, and dealers should be knowledgeable of the fertilizers they should sell while seed growers should grow certifies seed in the country using original fertilizers.
The five day workshop is one of the annual dispensations as a mandate to train inspectors and fertilizers dealers which involves a number of systematic steps in developing knowledge as to how fertilizers should be properly applied and regulated.
Project Manager, Sierra Leone Agribusiness and Rice Value Change Support Project, Tamba Jumu, said that SLARIS project falls under the feed salon agenda focusing on pillar two which focus on Human Capital Development, prioritizing gender equality and nurturing of skills required for the industries of the 21st Century. Thus, one of this training’s intervention areas is to capacitate agro dealers.
The training continued with several lectures from various tutors on observing ECOWAS fertilizer Regulation, by building an Effective Regulatory enforcement program
Executive Director, National Fertilizer Regulatory Agency, Dr Andrew BaMusa Koroma highlighted that this process is being observed along With strong collaboration with ECOWAS region were the CR 13 12, 12 treaties signed by the government of sierra Leone and other ECOWAS state in agreement that all fertilizers coming into these region must meet the ECOWAS standards. He furthered stated they as an Agency are empowered to enforce compliance to those instrument government has set as standards in the fertilizer market.
While the remaining days will capacitate dealers and inspectors on how to apply the three categories of fertilizers, this engagement will ensure that fertilizers coming into the country meet the expected standards according to the ECOWAS policy.